The Ionia girls bowling team just got into the Division 2 quarterfinals Friday night, then proceeded to knock off the No. 1 and 4 seeds en route to a second-place finish in the state tournament.

"We started strong in the Bakers, had a good first regular game, then struggled a bit in the second regular game," Ionia coach Lloyd Thurlby said. "We finished eighth in the qualifying block, then defeated 2012 state runners-up Tecumseh, who was the No. 1 seed, and a good Charlotte team to make the finals.

"I couldn't be more proud of the girls. This is the first state finalist trophy in program history, and that's coming off their second straight regional championship."

Against the top-seed, Ionia earned a 1,254-1,196 win. They Bulldogs defeated Charlotte 1,290-1,281 to earn a spot in the championship match.

The Lady Dawgs faced off against Jackson Northwest, who was the No. 7 seed out of qualifying. The Mounties were able to pick up some big splits throughout the match as they earned a 1,262-1,221 victory over Ionia to win the Division 2 state title.

In the championship match, Kendra Beutler led way for the Bulldogs with a score of 237. Kristen Nash threw a 178 game, while Stacy Andrakowicz earned a 162 and Courtney Burgess bowled a 160.